Friday, June 21, 2019

Sufficient Grace


“But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you...'.” – from 2 Corinthians 12:9

 Dear Friends and Family,
 It's hard to believe that the year 2019 is almost half way over! We would like to take a few minutes to share with you some praises – ways that God's hand has been seen at work here;  and some prayer requests – things on our heart for which we would ask for your prayers alongside ours.

Ministry
 God continues to be at work here, in many churches and in many people, and in us as well. Sometimes we don't understand or see clearly what God is doing or why, or for what purpose. But that is okay, because God is still God, He is in control, and … His grace is sufficient for all of us.
 As you might remember, God had provided a pastor for the church in Rusca Montana, a faithful man with a heart for the people and a strong biblical foundation. It was an amazing year and a half with this pastor – the church growing and becoming much more full of life, the best evangelization time in years, a growing children's ministry, etc. God's leading and blessing were so clear in the church during this time.
  But the level of spiritual warfare and attacks during this time increased dramatically as well; to a point where a minority of three or four people have allowed themselves to be used by the enemy to create a hostile environment and effectively force the pastor to resign. We had to make the difficult decision to step back from ministry at this church for a time, while it is refusing to confront sin and covering over it, allowing itself to ignore God's clear direction and blessing.
 We are confident that God is not finished with the church in Rusca Montana. He will put things right and do what needs to be done in his own time, and we look forward to resuming our ministries there at the first possible moment.
 There is such a need for ministry in so many churches here, so we have been going to some different churches in the area, doing what we can to help the need. One of these churches is in the village of Hobita (pronounced “Hobeetsa”). It is quite a small church of 10 people or so, and has been close to our hearts for a long time. Just this last week for example, we were there with a small group from our village, and it was awesome! We sang, our son Elijah played the guitar, and I spoke passionately from Acts chapter 2 (it was Pentecost Sunday, after all!) The people responded well; they are always so gracious and thankful when we are there with them, and honestly it is a joy to be with them!

Building Project
  We are very excited to announce that on May 21, 2019, construction of the house officially began. We have a local construction team, who are also believers, building it.The framing has moved along quite quickly – it has been amazing to see so much progress in so short a time!
 Although we had hoped to begin construction on the house last summer (2018), God used a number of circumstances to show us He had other plans for us – namely to wait a little longer and have patience. We have seen so many times in our lives that God's timing is perfect and worth waiting for!
 We are continuing to pray for God's leading in this project, and for wisdom in decisions that will need to be made. We were originally hoping that we would be far enough along with the house (even if not fully completed) that we could move in this fall. As we continue this journey of building, it is looking likely that we may not get that far along this year. On the other hand, God is always full of surprises, so we'll see what he has for us as the summer progresses! 
 As you know building a house is a big undertaking that involves a lot of decisions, time...and nerves of steel! It also takes a lot of investment from a financial standpoint. God has always provided for us, and we believe He will continue to do so now – He has been so faithful!

Prayer Requests
 We appreciate with all our hearts your love for God and your love for us; and your constant faithfulness in prayer. As we have shared with you today, there are some things on our hearts for which we would ask for your prayers alongside ours.
 >> First of all we would ask for continued prayers for the church of Rusca Montana. Pray fervently against the ongoing spiritual attacks; pray fervently for God to work in the hearts of people there – for God's restorative work, for healing, unity, and gratefulness.
 >> Next, we would ask that you pray for our family, that we would be continually open to God's leading in ministry, and willing to serve Him at any time and in any capacity. We desire to be a blessing to all those around us!
 >> Finally, we ask you to pray for the building project. We have come a long way, but there is still a long way to go! Pray that God will give safety to the team building it, and give us wisdom and peace amidst the storm of craziness during this time of building this house and place of ministry!
 We are continuing to entrust the needs of this project into the Lord's hands, and we are rejoicing in the thought that God will complete that which He has started!
 His grace is sufficient!
 Andrew, Geta and kids

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